After much harassment encouragement, I entered the blogosphere to document the delightful (or otherwise) and unexpected moments of my younger daughter's life. Hannah was born in 1998. She surprised us with her extra chromosome, and continues to surprise us with her humor, intellect and obstinacy. She takes our breath away. As my elder daughter once wrote, when Hannah was born, our family went from ordinary to extraordinary.

September 4, 2009

Kate's Departure

This week Kate got her final paperwork from the Peace Corps. It was exciting and overwhelming at the same time! She will be leaving home on October 22nd, heading for Washington D.C. for two days, and then flying to The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan!

Once in Jordan she will be attending language classes for three months along with other new Peace Corps volunteers. She will live with a local family which will help her learn Arabic and acclimate to the culture. After she completes her training, she will be sent to a rural or semi-rural area to help teach at a day-care/school or residential setting for children with physical or developmental disabilities. She will remain in Jordan for a total of 27 months!

Kate will need a new wardrobe, since women in Jordan keep themselves covered with loose fitting clothes from their neck to wrists to ankles. Form fitting clothes are not acceptable there, and she will wear a head-covering (not a burkha, but a hijab or scarf). This will be an interesting transition for Kate I think, since she is somewhat into fashion.

We are proud of Kate, starting out in the world, working to make life better for children who need help! This is a HUGE adventure, with the real possibility of having limited communication (what young American adult can imagine not having internet or a cell phone???), and limited news from the rest of the world. We might even have to resort to old fashioned letter writing!

We'll (she'll) have a busy seven weeks to prepare and pack...she'll need winter clothes (yes, it gets cold there), a new laptop (power source? Unknown), and oh, I can't even think it through!

My mother joined the Peace Corps right after I graduated from high school! She went to Thailand. She just had a 29 year reunion with friends this spring. She has been back once to teach English at a university.I will forever be grateful because now we know about mangos and sticky rice ;-)I wish your daughter well.

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About Me

The Cast of Characters!

Hannah, a girl who meets her challenges.

Hannah loves to read, swim, play soccer, spends LOTS of time creating art and takes bass guitar lessons. She keeps us all on our toes!

Chris, the excellent big brother.

I don't think there is a kinder brother in the world. He is 24 and is working on his PhD in Chemistry at UNC-Chapel Hill

Kate, the incredible big sister.

Kate is a veteran Peace Corps volunteer in Jordan. She is working as a Police Dispatcher and is studying for an MBA.

James, the Fearless Leader!

Don't let him fool you, he's actually a real estate executive who manages corporate properties. But he does a nice job with the lawn, dishes and laundry too! I'm not complaining!!

Beth, The Crazed Mudder.

After 21 years of homeschooling, I'm starting to show some side effects! I always said my degree in Psychology and Animal Behavior would be good for something! Besides annoying my children, I spend a good portion of my spare time researching Down syndrome metabolism and cognition. I also enjoy mentoring families who are new to Down syndrome or new to homeschooling.

A Beast

Hazel is Katie's dog. She is named after a character in "Watership Down". She is a Wheaten Terrier, the only kind of dog we can own because bunches of us are allergic. Hazel is very sweet, unless you are a puppy and you irritate her.

A Younger Beast

Bunsen belongs to Chris. He is playful little guy and a quick learner. He reminds us of his Uncle Nelson.